Brightest Day: New Justice
by Green Gallant
Summary: After The Flash: Rebirth, Wally tries to figure out his place in the world in the wake of his uncle's return. However fate may have plans in store for him and his children...and maybe even others. Spoilers for Final Crisis and The Flash: Rebirth.
1. Brightest Day: Where Do I Go From Here?

_Author's Note: This is a little something I whipped up last week. Just a possible imagining of what could happen to Wally now that his Uncle Barry is the Fastest Man Alive again. It seems likely that we may not know his fate in the DCU for some time now. At least until they find some use for him down the road. The reason its on this page will be explained later. Basically everything that's happened to him up till Flash: Rebirth. Enjoy. _

_**Brightest Day: New Justice**_

A few days had passed since the final battle with Professor Zoom, and yet even now it all seemed so surreal. Wally West; The Fastest Man Alive sat on his living room couch in a daze. His Uncle Barry, mentor and arguably the greatest Flash of all had been returned to him. The man who gave his life so vallantly in the first Crisis has been resurrected. In all that they'd been through in the past few days it still seemed like a dream to him. A man that had been removed from his and everyone else's life for years...the man he _replaced_ as the Fastest Man Alive, both in a literal and figurative sense was _alive. _He still had trouble wrapping his head around it. He looked down at his ring, and traced the Flash insignia with his eyes as it laid in the center of his palm.

A few days ago he was the sole bearer of the mantle. Well, maybe not the _sole_ bearer; Jay was still alive and kicking but most people considered _Wally_ to the the Flash. Not that anyone actually knew who he was under the mask, but the guy in red was the _Flash. _At least as far as the public was concerned.

Jay Garrick was the first man to use the identity, and admittedly his look was a little different than what most people associate with the Flash. But he used it all the same up to and long after the _new guy_ debuted. But Jay was a gracious man and allowed his successor carry his mantle. The new man in question was Barry Allen, police scientist for Central City's Finest. Long before the term CSI came into use; Barry was a forienics expert that was doused in his chemicals after a freak accident and became the Scarlet Speedster. It was his costume and identity that people came to recognize and would continue to do so for many years to come. Barry Allen was insanely fast, able to go beyond the speed of light, and even the speed of thought. Barry Allen would go on to fight many colorful and bizarre villains that menaced him on a regular basis. Villains who in turn would become Wally's enemies. Indeed the Flash seemed to attract a very bizarre set of villains, foes not like the Penguin or Lex Luthor. But just bad guys with very simple goals such as robbing a bank. Barry was never quite sure where they all came from. They just seemed to come out of the woodwork one day. Guys with boomerangs, ice guns, flying shoes, controlling the weather, talking to rats, the list just went on. It was as though he was some sort of wierdness magnet. Needless to say there was never a shortage of villains in Central City.

It wasnt long before Wally got caught up in his uncle's exploits. At 10 years old, he was already a fan of the Flash. His Aunt Iris, who was seeing Barry took him to the police station one day to meet him. Lightning would literally strike twice that day, recreating the accident that turned Barry Allen into the Flash. Young Wally West was turned into a pint sized duplicate of the hero. Right down to the icon and little booties. It seemed as though Fate had big plans in store for the boy, and from that day onward became the Flash's sidekick. Iris would later marry Barry and the young boy blossomed under his uncle's tutelage.

In time however Flash felt that his charge should be a little more distinctive and therefore created a new suit for his sidekick. The now familar yellow over red jumpsuit with circle-less lightning bolt and exposed red hair. As the years waned he became a confident superhero in his own right, even joining a new upstart team known as the Teen Titans.

In a few more years tragedy would befall the Flash. A madman from the future named Eobard Thawne took one of his suits and reversed it with a negative power charge and time traveled into the past calling himself Professor Zoom. The man known as Zoom soon became a rival of the Flash and would cement himself as his greatest enemy. Time travel had damaged his psyche and fell in love with Barry's wife Iris. When she refused his advances, Eobard killed her by vibrating his hand through her head at supersonic speed. Barry attacked him in a blind rage and almost beat him to death if it wasnt for Wally's interference. Professor Zoom was later imprisoned while Barry tried to rebuild his life. In time the Flash managed to love again and would soon marry another woman. On that second wedding day, Professor Zoom escaped to wreak his revenge. Panicked Barry clotheslined him before he could reach the bride inadvertantly breaking the villain's neck, killing him. He was later put on trial for the murder, even having his own nephew Kid Flash testify against him. The Flash was later aquited of the murder since he acted in self defense.

Grief stricken the Flash disappeared into the future to get away from his many troubles. Learning that she was from the 30th Century, Iris was resurrected through futuristic technology by her parents and was reunited with Barry. Finally giving the Fastest Man Alive a sense of happiness. Though his time with her would ultimatly be short lived as the Flash was called back to the present to battle a being known as the Anti-Monitor and his bid to elimate the universe. In the penultimate battle Barry sacrificed his life running at his absolute limit intercepting the beam that would have destroyed Earth. Catching the energy particles at its source he vanished into nothingness leaving only his costume behind.

With the League devestated by this loss, 21-year-old Wally West soon took over the mantle in honor of his late uncle. And became the new Flash.

In the following years he would have to fight tooth and nail to be taken seriously as the newest Flash. With such an enourmous title to live up to, it seemed as though no one not even the villains he fought saw him as a valid replacement for Barry. In time he would mature and hone his skills, discovering a whole new power level not even his mentor knew in life. When Professor Zoom returned from the grave to defile the Flash legacy, even threatening to replace Barry in the hearts and minds of the public. Wally shattered his own psychological barriers and embraced his powers fully, allowing him to defeat the Reverse-Flash and discover his link to the mythical Speed Force. The source of all speedsters' powers. It was this final push that allowed him to surpass his mentor and become the rightful heir to the Flash mantle.

And now six years later its come full circle. His uncle has returned from the dead, during mankind's darkest hour. It was something no one in this world would have ever expected, least of all Wally or Jay the current holders of the Flash mantle. With Jay out of semi-retirement the original Fastest Man Alive had acted as a mentor to Wally. But now that Barry was back everything has been thrown into flux. At first it was seen as a miracle, the greatest of them all had returned to help battle Darkseid who was trying to destroy all reality. Once that was over Professor Zoom returned yet again and cursed Barry turing him into the embodyment of Death to Speedsters: The Black Flash. With his very touch now fatal to them, they worked together to reverse the change. Zoom had returned with his own evil variation of the Speed Force that drained all other speedsters of thier powers and possibly even kill them. Nearly taking the lives of Wally's children Jai and Iris. In the end it would take the combined might of the entire Flash Family to defeat Professor Zoom and sever his connection to the Negative Speed Force. Eight speedsters total.

Now that the danger had finally passed it finally dawned on him. Now that Barry was back...what would become of him? By all accounts he was happy he was back, he really was. He thought the world of his uncle, even now at the ripe old age of 26 he was estatic to have him back. The only person even _happier_ he's back was his Aunt Iris who had been back in the present for quite some time. But only now as the days passed he started to ponder the implications of his uncle's return. For the first time since he took up the mantle, his identity as the Flash has been compromised. Now that he was back, what good was Wally? He never really thought about how Jay must have felt having _two _successors step up to the plate. Surely there must have been some doubt about his usefulness as a Flash. He couldnt even break the sound barrier anymore, granted Jay was an older man but still it must have weighted heavily on him at times. Now his secrity as the 'main' Flash has been threatened. But he wouldnt dare ask Barry to step down. Not after all the time he's been gone. Despite all his accomplishments, _Barry_ was still the greatest Flash of all... not Wally.

It's the thing he's been thinking about the past few days now. What is he to do now? Theoretically he could still be the Flash. Nobody was asking him to step down, least of all Barry. And its been proven many times over that several people can and have run around with the same identity. But with Wally it was different. It wasnt that his powers were in any way infurior to Barry's. Its just...the public opinion weighs heavily on _who_ is the better Flash. For most of his life he's been compared to Barry. The scrutiny had never been stronger when he was first starting out as the Flash. Only recently did it start to ease when he came into his own and forged his own identity under the mantle. But now...would all of his hard work be erased? Would people immediatly forget who he was now that his uncle was back? It was the question that had haunted him for days now. _**What does the future hold for Wally West? **_

He continued to stare at the ring in his hand, until a familar one came down on his shoulder. He looked up and saw a blonde haired man in his 30s stand before him in a blue dress shirt and sweater vest.

"Is everything all right son?" his uncle asked.

His eyes darted away from his mentor as he tried to think of what to say. And sighed as he closed his hand clasping the ring.

"Actually...no it isnt. Uncle Barry I'm glad that your back and all. But I've been wondering...what will become of me?" he asked looking up at him.

His smile faded a bit as he looked back at his young nephew. He knew this question was coming, and he wasnt sure if he had an answer. The elder Flash sighed as he sat down next to him on the sofa.

"You...think I'm going to replace you?" he asked and mentally kicked himself. Smooth Barry. Smooth.

His nephew doubled over turning his eyes to the floor.

"It's just...well I've been doing for a while. And, dont get me wrong I really am glad to have you back." he said making eye contact with him, making sure he knew his words were true.

"You dont have to retire son." he said placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldnt dream of doing that to you. You've been a hero your entire life, unlike me. It's engrained in you, and technically you've been doing this for as long as I have. Just because I've been dead for a while doesnt mean I want it all to myself. I'd be a terrible person to do that to you Wally, especially after all you've been through. And from what I've heard you've done some miracious things with your powers. Things I havent figured out until recently." he smiled and placed his hand on his chest.

"I want you to continue carrying the Flash mantle alongside me. Just like we've both have with Jay. Just because I'm back, doesnt threaten your status." his uncle assured him.

"Well no of course not. But then what about the people? Your the better Flash to them...I'm just second best." he said downcast.

"Let them worry about themselves. They cant do the things you and I can." he said.

"What about the League? I mean I'm sure after all these years they'll be happy to have you back." Wally added.

"They wont kick you out because of me. I wont allow it. Besides your just as important to the League as anyone else." Barry said.

"I guess we'll see what happens." he said still unsure.

"Your afraid they'll regulate you to reserve status." he added. His nephew shrugged.

"I figure that's the least that can happen." he said.

"We'll figure it out. Once all the festivities and hoopla have died down things will get back to normal. And we'll talk to the League and figure things out. But I promise you, your status as a Flash is in no more danger than my own." his uncle tried to tell him.

"Grandpa Barry!" a little girl yelled tackling his midsection.

The Flash groaned as she collided with him and hugged her 'grandfather'.

"Iris I've told you, he's your Great-Uncle." Wally said.

"It's all right, she can call me grandpa if she wants." he said.

Though truth be told the thought of being a grandfather at 35 didnt sit well with him. Then again...he did have Bart. The little girl infront of him had fiery red hair like her father, and looked up at him with bright green eyes. Iris 'Irey' West was the 10-year-old daughter of the Flash. And it was through her father that she developed one of his powers. The abilitiy to fade through walls...and everything else if she wasnt paying attention. Through a freak accident involving her and her brother's metagene, the twins had been artifically aged...to different ages 10 and 8 respectively. Yeah genetics, go figure.

As he doted on his granddaughter he turned his attention back to Wally while gently ruffing her hair.

"So Linda tells me you guys have been having some financial difficultites." he said softly. Wally was a little stunned by what his uncle just told him as evidenced by his slightly flustered blush.

"Well...yeah but you know times have been tough everywhere." he said looking back at the floor.

"You know now that all those other crisises are over. You have more time to spend with your kids. Maybe even straighten out other things that need to be addressed." he said still looking down at Irey.

"Yeah." he answered softly.

"Actually things have been a little rough since the twins were born. With all my duties I've been spreading myself a little thin here. And here I've been worrying about my position as a Flash..." he said looking over at his daughter.

"Daddy? Your still going to fight the bad guys right?" she asked.

"Well...um. You know Daddy would still like to fight the bad guys, but first he has to figure things out first. Like...how am I going to provide for you and give you what you guys want." he explained.

"But your still going to fight crime and save the day like before." Irey said unsure. He leaned down and picked up his daughter.

"Look, sweety there are more important things in the world than being a superhero." he said looking over at Barry.

"And its taken me till now to realize that. I'll always be a superhero no matter what. But right now, I got to take care of what's important to me. And that's you and your brother." he said lightly touching her nose. His daughter hugged his chest and begged.

"But I _want_ you to be the Flash! Your the coolest daddy ever." she said tearing, as he stroked her hair.

"I know...me too. But I'm not finished being the Flash." he said reassuring her. He turned and looked up at his uncle.

"But in the meantime, he'll be the one fighting crime. I hope you understand Irey." Wally told her.

In week following her dad's temporary retirement, Irey was at school prowling the hallway. Ever since then, both Jai and Iris had been in something of a funk. Too young to understand why thier dad who only weeks earlier would take them on patrol across the city had settled back into his role as the police department's mechanic. The worst thing of all was that they couldnt tell thier friends who thier dad was, hence the masks. It seemed as though nothing could bring her out of her preteen depression.

It was fifth hour now, right between Social Studies and Science. The latter of which she never had much intrest in. It was then she decided to do something she hadnt done before in her very short life. She cut class. Having recently gained superspeed during her battle with Zoom. She did a quick change into her yellow and white costume and ducked out the front door of her school, the sudden burst of wind catching all others off guard. Once she was beyond the boundaries of her school she took off in a supersonic burst and raced across town. Just because her dad quit being a superhero didnt mean she was about to. She was fortunate that nobody was able to trace her at superspeed, she needed time to think...to brood. Who would have thought a 10-year-old could brood? Actually for her the proper word was more than likely pout. That's it, 10-year-old girls dont brood or angst, they pout. Angsting was for teenagers, brooding's for Batman.

Right now she just wanted to run her heart out, and not care about the world. Unfortunatly she was also causing a stir with her hypersonic dash, none too subtle like her dad or predecessors before her. From his classroom window, Bart Allen heard the sonic boom along with pratically everyone else in the vicinity and saw a yellow and white blur race by. With everyone else drawn to the windows he used the opportunity he duck out and change into his Kid Flash uniform. And caught up to her soon after. Racing along side his younger cousin he called out.

"Iris?" he asked. She looked back at saw him in costume.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Just cuz!" she pouted.

"Irey I know I'm the last person to say this, but why arent you in class?" he asked once more. She refused to answer.

"C'mon talk to me Iris. This isnt like you." he said.

"I dont want to talk about it." she stated looking forward.

"Its about your dad isnt it? Look I dont like it anymore than you do. But he's doing this becuase he cares about you. He's just doing what he thinks is best." Kid Flash called out.

Iris skidded to a halt a moment later and glared at her cousin as he stopped just a little beyond her. He caught his breath resting his fists on his hips as he tried to explain it to her. But before he could an alarm sounded as Captain Cold came out of a bank with a sack of money. The villain's eyebrows shot up behind his visor in shock.

"How did you know I'd be here?" he asked.

"This is awkward." Kid Flash said just as stunned. Before he could answer, he whipped out his freeze gun and opened fire on them.

_Author's Note: I apologise for the lengthy introduction to the Flash mythos. It just seemed like a logical way to explain what's happened to him up till this point. Anyway with all the Brighest Day stuff going around. and most of it lacking any 'brightness' as far as moving away from the grim and gritty death and angst the DCU is so wel known for. I figured what if they brought back Young Justice in a new version like they did with Teen Titans a few years back? I dont really know where this is headed. But if you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. _

_Please review, _

_Green Gallant_


	2. MisStep: The Impulsivity of Youth

_Author's Note: All right I'm aback with another chapter. Want to thank everyone for all the reviews and positive feedback on the first chapter. _

**Brightest Day: New Justice**

**Chapter 2**

**Mis-Step**

"Move!" Bart yelled.

He and Iris scattered an ice beam struck the ground where they once stood. The two speedster raced towards Captain Cold on opposing ends as the fiend turned his ray on Iris freezing the ground beneath her. Iris skidded on the sheet of ice towards him, while Bart punched him out. The villain flew back and landed flat on the ground. Iris struggled across the ice reaching dry pavement while Captain Cold continued his assault trying to freeze her cousin. Kid Flash dodged past the ice blasts, before having his foot frozen in place. A white and yellow flash knocked the freeze gun out of his hand before being pummeled by Iris, releasing all of her pent up anger on the villain. Cold's arms flew up in defense as he tried in vain to protect himself from the attack. She didnt care, he was a bad guy. It was then Kid Flash reached out and grabbed her wrist. The young speedster looked back at him in anger, her eyes widened as she saw the frightened look on his face.

"What did you do?" he asked.

Realizing what she had done, the young girl slowly looked back at the beaten and bloodied face of Captain Cold. Bart then firmly grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look back at him.

"Dont you _ever_ do that again! You could have killed him. Captain Cold are you okay?" he said looking over her shoulder. The villain groaned as he slowly grasped his face and tried to get up.

Still in shock over what had happened. She felt him release her shoulders and gripped her wrist again tightly.

"We're going home _now._" he said racing off.

A few minutes later the pair arrived at the West Household, when Linda opened the door she saw Bart and Irey in costume with Irey starting to tear up. It wasnt like them to show up in costume, and it was even less like Bart to show up with such a serious look on his face.

"Inside." she said stepping back. The pair went in as she closed the door behind them.

"Where's Wally?" he asked coming into the den.

No sooner had he asked it, he saw the man in question sitting on the couch with a mug in hand.

"What is it?" he said standing up.

"Wally..." Bart said as Irey started to choke up behind him.

"Wally something's happened." he said removing his mask.

A few moments later.

"She did what?" her dad said in disbelief. He looked back at his daughter before collapsing onto the couch.

"Iris how could you do that?" he asked still stunned. Irey sniffled before breaking free of Bart and raced to her room at superspeed. Her mother soon went after her to try and talk with her, while her father turned his attention back to Bart.

"She beat Captain Cold? Like _beat_ him?" he asked. His cousin shook his head and threw his arms out part way before returning to his sides.

"It wasnt pretty. She's been this way for a while." he replied. Wally sighed and looked down at the carpeting before getting back up.

"I better go talk to her." he said. Making his way down the hallway, he met his wife by the door and softly wrapped at it.

"Irey? Come on, I'm not mad I just want to talk." he said gently.

Iris sat curled up on her bed in the darkened room. Her dad knocked again.

"Iris? I'm coming in." he said opening the door and poked his head in.

"Hey kiddo." he said softly.

"I hear you fought Captain Cold today." he said starting from scratch. His daughter didnt answer him at first and merely pouted.

"Iris, look sweety there's something I gotta tell you." he said peeling into the room and slowly made his way across the room. She looked up at him from the bed, legs drawn up to her chest, her green eyes beading in the dark.

"Is it okay if I turn on the light?" he asked.

She looked away and didnt answer. Taking his cue, he quietly sat down beside her in the dark. He ruffed his red hair as he tried to figure out what to say to her before settling on a tactic.

"Iris I know your mad that I'm not a superhero anymore and...you have every right to." he said. His daughter looked up at him confused. It was the first time she'd seen him since coming home.

"To you guys I've always been a hero, and that's what you expect from me. It's what you've come to know about your old man. Did I just call myself old?" he shook his head before continuing.

"My point is, I know that its hard for you to see me in any other light. And honestly I have trouble doing the same. But I want you to know this above all else...I care about you guys. You, Mom, and Jai you guys mean more to me anything else, even superheroing. And I'd gladly lay all of that down to make you happy. I never told you this, but a few years ago there was a bad guy named Superboy-Prime. He was so powerful that most heroes in the world werent able to stop him...not even Superman. At least not alone. When you and Jai were little I joined the other Flashes in trying to stop him. I wanted to make sure he wouldnt hurt anyone else. And so me, Bart, Grandpa Barry and Grandpa Jay all pulled him into the Speed Force and took him to another world to make sure he wouldnt be a threat to anyone else. You and Mommy was there, and Mommy didnt want to seperated from me, so you all came with me. And for a while we lived on that world. She didnt even know what was beyond the Speed Force. But she wanted us to be together no matter what." he smiled at Iris.

"So whatever became of this Superboy-Prime?" she asked curiously. His smile soon faded as he looked forward.

"He escaped." he answered.

"Did you ever catch him again?" she asked.

"We did in a way. When Superman defeated him he was imprisoned on the Green Lantern homeworld where he stayed for a while." he replied.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"I dont know, he just vanished." he answered.

"C'mon Dad, nobody just vanishes into thin air." she chided smiling. Her dad grinned and looked back at her.

"Irey you've got a lot to learn. And I think its time I start teaching you the right way." he said.

"You really mean it?" she asked eyes shining.

"Yeah I do. But you got to know something Irey, you cant just beat up supervillains like that. You have powers, you need to learn your limitations." he said. Irey bowed her head for a second.

"You mean like what I did to Captain Cold." she said.

"Exactly. See there are two kinds of villains. Those who have powers and those who dont. And Captain Cold is one of those who doesnt. And so are most of the other bad guys in this town. Heat Wave, Trickster, basically any guy that carries a handheld weapon isnt likely to have powers. That means that you cant use your full powers on them. You can use your speed to outsmart them, but cant do to them what you did to Cold. And I'm afraid that something like that will have serious consequences." he told her.

"Like getting grounded?" she asked. Her father sighed.

"No Iris, its more serious than that. Because of what you did, I'm afraid he may come after you now. I mean nobody wants to say they lost to a ten year old girl. And that's what worries me, Captain Cold is a serious villain. He has his standards, but he wont stand for this." he told her.

"What are standards?" she asked.

"Things he will and wont do. Captain Cold doesnt hurt kids, but after being humiliated by you he may make an exception." he stated. Which immediatly terrified his daughter.

"Daddy is he going to kill me?" she asked concerned. His eyes widened realizing what he said and quickly tried to calm down his little girl.

"No, no. But he's going to be pretty mad for a while. But I wont allow it." he assured her touching her leg.

"But I also want you and Jai to realize that there are consequences for the things you do somethings. Just like there are for any superhero...including myself." he added.

"You mess up too?" she asked.

"Yeah we all do. I mess up more times than I can keep track. Sometimes its accidental, other times...well let's just say I dont always plan things out. But that's why I'm going to train you and Jai. To make sure your mistakes arent that huge. Your very young Iris, even by superhero standards and if you want to be in this business then you'll have to grow up fast. Because alot of people may count on you one day. And I want to make sure your ready for anything." he said.

"You remember when you and Jai became superheroes?" he asked. The 10-year-old nodded.

"Well the guys in the League thought it was a bad idea. And they were right." he added. Irey tilted her head in confusion.

"Like I said you guys are very young. And it was very irresponsible of me as a father to do that to you. But when you guys started to age uncontrollably I didnt know how long I'd have you guys. So I wanted to make your lives as happy and meaningful as possible and well, what can I say superheroing's in the blood." he paused before continuing.

"My point is, I was your age when I became Kid Flash. And Grandpa Barry was willing to give me a chance despite my young age. I figured that my own kids should be entitled to that as well. Now that your powers and ages have stabilized, we can start fresh. That is if you want to." he said. She looked up at her father inquizzatively. Her young mind unable to process what he was saying.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm giving you guys a choice. You and your brother can live normal lives and have a regular childhood, or if you want I can train the both of you to be superheroes just like before. I already know what you'll pick but I want you to think long and hard about it. Because if you chose to become a hero then there's no turning back." he warned.

"I cant live a normal life?" she asked. He shook his head.

"It wouldnt exactly be easy." he replied.

"If your going to ask her that question then you better have my input as well." his wife said standing in the now open doorway.

"Yeah I could be in trouble." he quipped.

"Daddy says he's giving me a choice to live a normal life or be a hero." Iris informed her mother.

Her father grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I- I'm just trying to be fair. I dont want them to feel like I'm forcing this on them." he explained as she and Jai came into the room.

"Daddy I want to be a superhero." the dark haired boy said coming up to him.

He threw up his arms as Wally sat the young boy down on his lap already wearing his orange and white jumpsuit. He already knew that the boy wasnt old enough to know the implications of superhero life. He just wanted to live up to his dream of being a hero again like his dad. Irey on the other hand...well they say girls mature faster than boys. But still he hoped she would realise what she was getting herself into. The training alone would be enough to deflate a kid's enthuasiasm. Indeed Iris took a bit longer in her decision making than her brother. Maybe that thing about adolecent girls is true. Iris looked at her mother for a moment seeking her approval, they all knew what her answer would be. It wasnt any secret. The fact that it took her a full two minutes to decide was a little more shocking. Of course to speedsters and kids two minutes was an eternity. She finally looked back at her father before answering.

"I want to be a superhero." she stated.

"That's my girl." he said softly.

"Oh boy, this house is about to get alot more hectic." thier mother sighed.

On the other side of town at Captain Cold's apartment/hideout the archvillain sat in his easy chair still cradeling his broken nose with a rag as he watched the evening news.

_"Earlier today a daring mid-day bank robbery was being commited by notorious criminal Captain cold. That is until Kid Flash and an unidenitfied crimefighter thrawted his scheme. We want to warn you these images are graphic. So far very little is known about who this new hero is. There is speculation that is one of the children of the Flash. Although Captain Cold did manage did disable Kid Flash temporarily it seemed as though the girl had gotten too caught up and gave him a rather humiliating defeat. Kid Flash would later stop the attack and soon left the battle with the little girl in tow." _the anchorwoman reported.

_"Maybe that'll teach him a lesson." _her fellow anchorman joked. Though Captain Cold was hardly laughing. The villain froze the screen with his ray gun and contemplated his next move.

_Author's Note: All right so whta'd you think of that? In all honesty, I'm not exactly proud of that little beating she gave Cold. Since I feel that was a little ooc. I'm not even sure if she would do that. Anyway the main plotline is set up, for now anyway. Hopefully it'll get better from here on out. Let me know what you think. _

_Please review, _

_Green Gallant_


	3. Cry for Justice

_Author's Note: This is a plot device I've always wanted to try on this fic. But for one reason or another I lost intrest in it. Sorry I havent updated in a while, I got stuck/wrapped up in other projects but I decided to give this another go and see if anyone likes it. In what I'm hoping will advance the plot considerably. Let me know what you think of it. _

**Brightest Day: New Justice**

**Chapter 3**

**Cry for Justice**

Later that night sometime after 1am Wally's communicator went off. But the speedster was too far-gone to hear the rhythmic chirping of a small yellow communicator on the nightstand. Until finally his wife stirred and looked up seeing the flashing red light on the cover and nudged her husband.

"Wally." She said softly. Her husband shifted in his sleep and didn't seem to notice. Linda finally sat up and thumped him with her pillow.

"Wally." She said louder. The speedster shot up in bed and blurted. "Wha-uh-ooh!"

"Wally, the communicator." She said sternly motioning over to it.

Why it was on her side was beyond either of them. It wasn't the Justice League one; he reached over his wife and grabbed the device flipping it open.

"Yeah." He said ruffling his hair.

"Wally we got a problem." Dick's voice said on the other end.

"What kind of problem?" he asked seeing his teammate's face.

"It's Roy." he stated. Wally's eyes narrowed knowing what this meant.

"Where are you?" he said in a low voice.

"Star City, what's left of it anyway." He answered. His friend nodded and got up.

"I'll be there in a bit." He said and rushed to grab his Flash ring. Quick changing into his uniform he returned to the foot of the bed where his wife remained.

"What about the kids?" she asked softly.

"They're not ready for this. Just make sure they stay in bed, don't tell them where I've gone." He instructed.

"You got it. Be careful." She told him.

"Its Roy I'm more worried about." He replied softly.

Opening the bedroom window he crawled out so as not to wake the kids. He could have vibrated through the wall or just as easily rushed down the hallway and out the house, but decided stealth was the best option and quickly rushed off to Star City, California.

500 miles away Star City was still in ruins after Prometheus' attack two weeks before. In the weeks' leading up to the city's destruction the villain had infiltrated the Justice League from within, having systematically defeated each of the League members while posing as Freddy Freeman/Shazzam. Using a holographic projector Prometheus was able to keep his teammates guessing as to who was the traitor. Ultimately it was Roy that discovered his duplicity when he tried ambush him as Shazzam. His reward for doing so was having his arm sliced off by Prometheus' flaming sword.

Alerting his teammates Roy collapsed and went into shock. Eventually the League was able to defeat and capture the villain. But Prometheus had one final trick up his sleeve and revealed that he had placed cosmic teleporters in each of their respective hometowns and that if he weren't released he'd send them all through time and space. Green Arrow had unfortunately called his bluff and Star City was immediately targeted. But instead of being teleported the machine had malfunction and destroyed Star City in a series of mass explosions. Although tens of thousands of people were killed that night, the final straw came with the death of Roy's own daughter Lian. Prometheus used the opportunity to escape into his extra-dimensional stronghold known as the Ghost Zone. Driven to the brink with the maiming of his ward, and granddaughter. Green Arrow followed him into the Ghost Zone and killed him point blank with an arrow between the eyes.

Since then Roy has descended into madness and has become a brutal vigilante, estranging himself from his family and friends. Even now as Wally raced to Star City he knew that he and the other Titans will have to come face to face with something they have long since dreaded. They'll have to fight one of their own.

Flash poured on the speed as Star City came into view. Instead of seeing a ravaged city, there seemed to be some sort of large green forest. His eyes widened as he took in the oncoming sight and was forced to put on the brakes, stopping on a hill overlooking the city.

"Okay, where did this come from?" he asked.

The Flash blinked in confusion as he tried to figure out why the hell a forest was in the remains of what should be a ruined city. Reaching for his communicator on his left hip, he quickly realized that not only did he forget his communicator. He'd also forgotten he didn't have pockets. Shaking his head he rushed down the hill and into Star City, dodging tree branches and urban debris as he raced towards the center of the former city. Arriving on the scene a few seconds later he looked around and could now make out the remains of damaged buildings and street corners as survivors in tattered clothing looked up at him from burning trash barrels. The Flash grimaced as he took in their appearance. Some of them looked like hobos others seemed like regular people whose clothing had varying amounts of damage and wear to them.

Flash rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to say, or even better who to speak to. A small boy about 8 years old looked up at him wearing a white t-shirt and clutching a teddy bear stood next to his mother.

"Uh Hey there." he waved slightly.

The people stared at him silently. The Flash tugged on the neck of his costume and tried to let a little air out. The awkward silence was starting to get to him. He cleared his throat as he tried to speak with them.

"Um, you haven't happened to see any other…superheroes around here have you?" he asked.

The group continued to glare at him; apparently the Arrows weren't all that popular anymore. One of them pointed up the street and the Flash took off happy to get out of there. As he raced up a tall hill to get a vantage point of the city, or at the very least what he could make out. At this point you literally couldn't see the forest from the trees.

"Come on guys, where are you?" he said as he continued to look around.

An explosion to the Northwest caught his attention as a large smoke cloud could be seen from the thick undergrowth.

"That works." He said and raced towards the disturbance.

In another part of the city, the Titans were involved in a standoff with their former teammate and co-founder holding a criminal at knifepoint.

"Come on Roy don't do this." Dick implored his friend.

"Please listen to us." Donna said pained at the monster he'd become. Arsenal shook his head as he held the blade against the crook's throat.

"Sorry guys, but those days are over. I'm done being one of you." he said. At the top of another hill over his shoulder stood the Flash.

"Roy, no." he said softly.

"Don't make us fight you, he isn't worth it." Dick told him.

"He may not be worth it, but its all I have left." He answered.

"Red Arrow." He said sternly.

"Don't call me that! Red Arrow died the night my little girl did, and that's where he'll remain. My name is Arsenal now." he barked.

"All right Arsenal, just calm down we can work something out." he told him.

"There's nothing to work out." he replied.

"Killing this man wont bring her back, neither will any of the other low lives you go after." Dick told him. Roy tightened his grip on the handle.

"You think I don't know that? She was the only thing that made me feel like a worthwhile human being! So what do I have to hang on to now? Huh? Tell me!" he yelled. His friend only looked back at him in silence while Donna clinched her arm.

"Tell me!" he roared. But Dick only stared back at him through his mask before answering.

"Is this what she'd want?"

His eyes flew open at Dick's statement.

"Would she want you to be this way? To turn into a monster? She looked up to you Roy, thought you were the greatest person in the world. You may think your avenging her, but all your doing is spitting in the face of her memory. She loved you. And she wanted to be just like you Roy." he said in a stern voice.

The knife wobbled in his hand while the criminal remained completely rigid. He grit his teeth and looked back at him outraged. He abandoned his would-be victim and hurled himself at Dick with knife in hand. The hero remained where he was ready to intercept his attacker at that same moment Flash rushed at them and tackled Roy. Arsenal flew sideways into the air and recovered quickly in a crouched position. The dust cleared as Flash stood in the place that Roy once occupied in the air.

"That's enough Roy." Flash said.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"You have to ask? I know you've been through a lot since Lian's death…you need help." Flash replied.

"All the therapy in the world couldn't help me Wally. There's only one thing that'll make me stop, and she's not coming back. You still have your kids Wally, and you! How can you stand there lecturing me when you've never even had kids?" he said turning his attention back to Dick.

"Your no better than the Bat! You're just a cold, emotionless bastard." He said. Dick's eyes flew open at his friend's accusation.

"That's not true." He said hurt. His eyes narrowed and regained his composure.

"That's the grief talking." Dick rebuffed.

"No." Roy shook his head.

"You know I'm right, you've fought for all these years to get out from under his shadow and now look at you. It's finally come full circle hasn't it?" he said looking back at him in the cape and cowl.

"I don't know why I bother with any of you guys. None of you have any idea what I'm going through. What I'm feeling. Or how you can help me. So just leave me alone, as far as I'm concerned we're not friends anymore." He told them.

"Roy." Donna said with a hurt expression, shook her head and took a step towards him.

"You don't mean that." she said reaching out to him. Arsenal narrowed his eyes and turned sideways.

"Get out of my life." he said in a low voice. His friends looked back at him in sadness as he turned and walked away from them.

Donna bit her lip as her eyes filled up with tears and yelled at him.

"So that's it? After all we've been through your just going to walk away from us like we don't exist? Do you have _any _idea how much we care about you? How much _I _care about you? I loved you Roy! I still love you! I would give my life for you! Damn it Roy why wont you let us help you? Tell me that!" She yelled her voice cracking at the end.

Arsenal kept walking ignoring her angry plea, tears spilled down her cheek and collapsed to her knees crying. Dick dropped down beside her and touched her shoulder as she turned and leaned against his chest. Wally soon joined his friends and knelt on the opposite side as they watched him walk out of their lives.

In an untouched section of the city at S.T.A.R. Labs an experiment was nearing completion as a group of scientists worked on what appeared to be a young girl with black hair in a chamber immersed in a green liquid.

_Author's Note: Okay so this is obviously built off of what happened to Roy in the much maligned Justice League: Cry for Justice miniseries. But as you can see there is a method to this. Even more obvious is the huge risk I'm taking by revealing that last scene in what is either a brilliant idea or a horrendous one. I think you know where I'm going with this. And if you dont, where have you been? Jk. Alright so I'm pretty much at commitment level now. And now I want to know do you think this is a good idea or a really bad one? Either way it'll make for a very intrestring plot device as far as a certain half-crazed vigilante is concerned. Let me know your thoughts. _

_Please review, _

_Green Gallant. _


End file.
